Cubical game piece container having different game board patterns on its faces



INVENTOR. THOMAS G. DAVENPORT Sheet (Piaf 7Z1 ATTORNEY GAME BOARD PATTERNS ON ITS FACES CUBICAL GAME PIECE CONTAINER HAVING DIFFERENT I0 WWAZ/ w -MM- T i m 4. w. m M g M M 4 W ..m d G. \vvnwvh QEXVQMVQ M m m. .H wk /f/g March 4, 1969 T. G. DAVENPORT 3,430,962

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ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,430,962 CUBICAL GAME PIECE CONTAINER HAVING ggl lgiRENT GAME BOARD PATTERNS 0N ITS Thomas G. Davenport, 344 E. 19th St., New York, N.Y. 10003 Filed Dec. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 516,231 US. Cl. 273-136 Int. Cl. A631 3/02 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates in general to board game apparatus and, more particularly, to containers having at least one surface which may be used as a game board.

A main object of this invention is to provide a decorative, ornamental object which serves as a container for game pieces and which has at least five square surfaces which may be used as game boards.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cubical container for game pieces, the container having five unbroken square sides on which are marked five different games boards, one to each side.

Many other objects, advantages, and features of invention reside in the particualr construction, combination and arrangement of parts involved in the embodiment of my invention and its practice otherwise as will be understood from the following description and accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing three sides of the container of my invention with a drawer in one side shown partly open;

FIGURES 2 and 3 are sections taken, respectively, on lines 22 and 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the container of my invention in an inverted position showing its three additional sides;

FIGURE 5 is a front view of a conventional chess piece; and

FIGURES 6-11 are, respectively, perspective views of a checker or backgammon piece, a morelles piece, a Chinese checkers marker, a die, a parcheesi marker, and a go counter.

Referring to the drawing in detail, my container 10 has three side walls 11, 12 and 13 and top and bottom walls 14 and 15. These Walls are preferably made of fine wood with the best cabinet making techniques to leave the well finished side surfaces 16, 17, 18, 19 and 2.0 which are perfect unbroken squares.

The upper side surface 19 has a chess or checkerboard configuration 21 formed on it in any suitable manner such as inlaying, painting, staining, printing, etc. In a like 3,430,962 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 ice manner the sides 11, 12 and 13 have, respectively, a morelles board 22, a Chinese checkerboard 23, and a parcheesi board 24 formed on them. The bottom side surface 20 has a go board 25 formed on it.

Into the container 10 so formed, there are inserted two drawers 30 and 31, one above the other. Each drawer 30 and 31 has a front 32, a bottom 33, sides 34 and 35, and a back 36. Two partitions 37 and 38 are set at right angles in each drawer 30 and 31 to divide it into four compartments of substantially the same size. The front 32 of each drawer contains a central aperture 39 behind which there is secured a brass plate 40. Each brass plate 40 has a metal knob 41 fixed to it within an aperture 39 so that the knob does not project beyond a drawer front 32. Thus the drawers 30 and 31 may be opened by grasping the knobs 41 within the apertures 39.

Drawer guides 42 and 43 are fixed to the side walls 11 and 13 to engage slots formed in the sides 34 and 35 of the drawers 30 and 31. Iron plates 45, as shown in FIGURE 3, are fixed to back wall 12. Magnets 46 are set in the backs 36 of each drawer to contact the plates 45 when the drawers 30 and 31 are closed. Thus the magnets 46 held the drawers 30 and 31 closed while any face of container 10 is placed upward. A backgammon board configuration may be formed on the fronts 32 of the drawers on each side of the apertures 39. This provides a sixth game board on my container 10.

The eight compartments of the drawers 30 and 31 hold black chess pieces, white chess pieces, black and white checkers or backgammon pieces, black and white morelles pieces, dice and parcheesi markers, Chinese checkers markers, black g0 markers, and white go markers, respectively.

It is to be noted that the drawers 30 and 31, when closed, keep the game pieces from falling from one compartment to another. Even the smallest go markers cannot pass over a partition 37 or 38 into another compartment. Thus the game pieces are always sorted and ready for use on any selected game board when the container 10 is placed with a desired face upward.

While I have disclosed my invention in the best form known to me, it will nevertheless be understood that this is purely exemplary and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. For example, container 10 could be molded of plastie to produce a less expensive game apparatus in quantity. The configuration of the inner portions of the drawers 30 and 31 could be altered.

What is claimed is:

1. Game apparatus comprising, in combination, a eubical container having five walls enclosing a central space with each of said walls having an unbroken square outer surface, markings defining five different game boards on the outer surfaces of said walls, each game board occupying substantially the entire area of one of the unbroken square outer surfaces of said walls, one of said game boards being a chess and checkerboard, four of said walls having edges defining an opening in one side of said container, drawers, one above the other, extending into said container, said drawers having front portions with outer surfaces flush with the opening in said container, said front portions being disposed entirely within the opening in said container, said drawer having interior spaces completely covered by the upper wall of said container and drawer walls, game pieces within the interior spaces of said drawers, and means holding said drawers within said container as said container is turned to place a selected game board uppermost, said front portions of said drawers having markings defining a sixth game board thereon.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein there are two of said drawers, with the addition of partitions in said drawers dividing said drawers into compartments holding said game pieces, said compartments being of the same height as the interior spaces of said drawers.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said means holding said drawers are magnetic latches.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Krath et a1 273--136 Horovitz 273-136 Harrison.

Smith et a1.

Behr 273136 Brinkrnan 273-136 Smith 46-17 X DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. 

